cord will bear the minutest inspection.

Such then is a brief sketch of a remarkable Bostonian. The poor boy who
landed in Boston a little over a half century ago has become its Chief
Magistrate. Boston has honored him. He has shown, and is still showing,
his appreciation of the high honor. Slowly, but surely, this modest
gentleman has won his way to the front in the popular estimation of his
fellow-citizens. A man who tries constantly to do right for the love of
doing right, he has become more distinguished than many so-called
brilliant men who, meteor-like, flash before people's eyes once, and are
heard of no more. There is a solidity about all his public acts which
command attention and elicit approbation. It is too early to write the
full history of Mayor O'Brien, because he is rapidly making history; but
Boston's history thus far does not record when the city has had a more
efficient or more honest Mayor than the present Chief Magistrate.

* * * * *

HELEN HUNT JACKSON.

The news of the death of Mrs. Helen Jackson--better known as
"H.H."--will probably carry a pang of regret into more American homes
than similar intelligence in regard to any other woman, with the
possible exception of Mrs. H.B. Stowe, who belongs to an earlier
literary generation.

Helen Maria (Fiske) Jackson was the daughter of Prof. Nathan W. Fiske,
of Amherst College, whose "Manual of Classical Literature," based on
that of Eschenberg, was long in use in our colleges, and who wrote
several other books. She was born in Amherst, Mass., October 18, 1831;
her mother's maiden name being Vinal. The daughter was educated in part
at Ipswich (Mass.) Female Seminary, and in part at the school of the
Rev. J.S.C. Abbott in New York city. She was married to Captain
(afterward Major) Edward B. Hunt, an eminent engineer officer of the
United States Army. Major Hunt was a man of scientific attainments quite
unusual in his profession, was a member of various learned societies,
and for some time an assistant professor at West Point. He contributed
to one of the early volumes of the _Atlantic Monthly_ (xii, 794) a
paper on "Military Bridges." His wife resided with him at various
military stations--West Point, Washington, Newport, R.I., etc.--and they
had several children, all of whom died very young except one boy,
Rennie, who lived to the age of eight or ten, showing extraordinary
promise. His death and that of Major Hu